Owl Beak: 'Owl' You Need To Know About Their Super Sharp Beak

Owls use their beak to hunt, eat and tear apart prey.

All owls have a curved, short, and downward-facing beak which is shaped like a hook. The design makes it easy for them to grip and tear their prey.

They can crush and kill their prey with their bills. It is known around the world that the great horned owl is a type of owl with a very powerful beak.

Nestled within the Bubo genus, an adult Bubo virginianus lives throughout North America. Their wings are huge.

Many owls simply nest in holes, called cavities or hollows, in trees. These tree cavities occur naturally but are often created by woodpeckers which are used as a nest by owls. In some cultures, the great horned owl is called a tiger owl because of its hunting and preying activities and because of its colorful plumage!

Did you know that unlike wings of other birds of prey such as eagles, wings of an owl are not made of just feathers? There are comb-like serrations at the edge of the wing feather to break the wind.

Plumicorns refer to the feather horns of the owl, which are on their heads. The color and appearance of the plumage varies according to the subspecies and its habitat.

After reading about the beak of this bird, also read about if owls are smart and if owls are nocturnal.

What is the color of an owl's beak?

The color of an owl's beak depends on the species. The barn owl has pale or dark buff-colored beaks. Eastern screech owls have bright gray or olive green beaks; the great horned owl’s upper beak is white and the lower half is orange or brown.

Also known as cutting edges, the upper bill or upper mandible is serrated, which means it has many little ridges that are used to cut through prey. However, the lower mandible of an owl's beak is flat and covered with bristles called lamellae that are used to securely hold its prey.

How sharp is an owl beak?

Owls have very powerful, scissor-like beaks which allow them to tear apart their food without difficulty.

Due to this unusual strength, great horned owls must be careful when they pick up or carry their young chicks in case the they accidentally crush their young in their beak.

Great horned owl chicks have been known to peck in defense if a human touches them, and the force from these pecks can often leave a bruise or break bones. The crushing power of an owl's beak allows it to carry away small prey, and also gives it the ability to kill animals that are much larger than them.

What type of beak does an owl have?

Owls have a curved upper mandible and a flat lower mandible. The curved and flat shape of their beaks allows them to tear apart prey with ease, while the serrated edge cuts through flesh as scissors would. A beak of a typical owl is hooked.

Their powerful jaw is only one part of what makes owls such effective hunters; their silent flight is another.

They make no sound during their flight, which means they can sneak up on their prey undetected with the help of their flight.

Also, owls are birds that are able to swivel each ear separately (one at a time), this helps these birds pinpoint exactly where sounds are coming from, allowing them to correctly locate where their prey might be hiding.

Owls' large forward-facing eyes give them extremely good binocular vision which allows them to judge distances accurately.

There are various species of owls you can find. Some species of owls found in the world are really small while some are huge. Most species have small feet.

The sharp tip of the upper mandible functions like claws do on birds’ feet by helping owls grip prey. Some species also possess ear-like tufts that look like feathers growing out of their heads; however, these ear tufts are not actual ears but just feathers that aid with camouflage.

The owl beak consists of an upper edge and a lower edge. The upper edge and the lower edge of the top and bottom beaks are joined together at the cere, or the fleshy area above the owl's beak.

Owls have a very distinctive face, which is actually called a facial disc. This can range from black to white in coloration, with a variety of patterns on it.

The shape of the beak also depends on the diet of the owl. As no owl species possesses any teeth like an eagle, they are unable to chew their food.

This is where they use hooked bills that are extremely sharp to tear the flesh of their prey and use great crushing power to break the bones as well as the skull of the prey.

Owl Beak Appearance

Owls have a notch in the upper mandible of their beaks that acts as a kind of 'sound box' allowing their calls to carry further at night and help them locate each other. Their beaks also contain a bone called the tomial tooth that is used for breaking through their prey's tough outer shell or exoskeleton.

Their beaks overlap making it almost impossible for any prey to escape once they've been grasped by an owl's beak. The lower mandible has bristles that act like teeth, allowing owls to swallow whole pieces of food without chewing first. They also have curved talons (claws). These curved talons allow the bird to grasp prey more securely.

The lower bill of an owl's hooked beak has a flexible joint connected with the back of the upper bill. The lower bill enables it to swivel from side to side.

The lower bill allows an owl to swallow its prey whole without having to crush it with sharp serrated edges of their upper bill, which could damage the inner tissue of their mouth since the tissue is sensitive.

Facial features of the head of an owl, such as its eyes and beak, are what makes owls appear menacing. The type of tissue that an owl's beak is made of is called keratin.

What is the meaning of the sound of an owl's beak clicking?

Owls only produce sounds during the breeding season; otherwise, they remain completely silent to avoid detection.

If you are hearing the sound of an owl beak clicking, it means that the bird is feeling threatened by something. Another reason behind the sound of beak clicking is an attempt to protect its territory from any encroacher through a threat display.

How does a barn owl use its beak for hunting?

A barn owl is mainly a nocturnal hunter (it hunts at night); this is because they rely on their excellent hearing and vision more than anything. They have a good sense of the region or surrounding area. The good sense of region helps allows them to be nocturnal.

Their asymmetrically-positioned ears give them the ability to pinpoint the exact location of small mammals. This allows barn owls to successfully hunt even in complete darkness. In order for an owl's prey to escape, they would have to move much quicker than one would expect from something so small.

Owls also have very short legs, so running speed is not one of their strengths. The barn owl's feathers are soft, which allows these birds to have a silent flight compared to the flight of other birds of prey such as eagles.

This means that their prey is less likely to hear the owl coming - just don't tell any of these feathered friends; otherwise, they might start becoming a bit more cautious!

A young barn owl can sit on a tree patiently waiting for its prey to appear, and has the ability to hunt in complete darkness. However, when its prey is spotted, the owl swoops down very quickly and catches prey with its sharp talons (claws).

Its beak acts as a hook to hold its prey tightly together with powerful muscles that are attached to it.

The owl will use its sharp beak and talons for the final act of neutralizing its prey. The owl will use its talons to crush its prey’s skull and knead the body. The beak is used to grip and tear prey.

Helping An Owl With An Injured Beak

If you find an owl with an injury to its beak, rather than try to catch the bird yourself, it is best to call your local wildlife rescue center for help with catching or treating wild animals.

If you do spot a wild animal in need of assistance and believe the situation is safe enough for you to approach it, make sure not to give any sudden movements as this may startle the animal and cause further injury/damage.

Also, owls have very sharp talons (claws) which can inflict serious injuries if they swipe at you (so be cautious when handling any injured owl).

To keep the wound clean and prevent infection, many rescue centers will clean the wound and give the animal an antibiotic shot. If you're not sure what to do, it's best to leave the animal in its natural surroundings unless there is a real threat to your safety or others in the area.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for owl beaks then why not take a look at how do owls sleep or snowy owl facts.